Tag: Atlanta

Hamlin on Daytona 500 champ Byron: ‘He races so wise beyond his years’

A three-time champion of the Daytona 500 was highly complimentary of the race’s newest champion this week. Denny Hamlin congratulated and praised William Byron on his podcast “Actions Detrimental,” saying the victory was well earned. The Joe Gibbs …

A three-time champion of the Daytona 500 was highly complimentary of the race’s newest champion this week.

Denny Hamlin congratulated and praised William Byron on his podcast “Actions Detrimental,” saying the victory was well earned. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who won at Daytona in 2016, 2019 and 2020, also told Byron it was his time to bask in the glory of winning the sport’s biggest race.

“He races so wise beyond his years, he really does,” Hamlin said. “I admire William, I admire his work ethic, who he is as a person.”

The victory was the 11th of Byron’s career in his seventh season at the Cup Series level. Hamlin is a series veteran and is considered a favorite when it comes to the superspeedway events. In his praise, Hamlin compared Byron to a former Hendrick Motorsports driver against whom he spent many years racing.

“I think of him (Byron) a lot like Jimmie Johnson in the sense of he just gets results; he gets a lot of results, and he’s not super flashy about it,” Hamlin said. “He’s a really good person outside the race car as he is in the race car. He always races fair with everyone. Have we ever heard William Byron getting into or wrecking someone?”

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Hamlin and Byron have gone toe-to-toe over the years. In the fall race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2022, Byron spun Hamlin under caution. The two later hashed things out – on Hamlin’s podcast – and have moved on with no ill feelings. It’s why Hamlin didn’t even bring it up when making his statement about not hearing about Byron having issues with fellow drivers.

“I’ve got tremendous respect for him as a driver,” Hamlin said. “He’s going to be a very deserving and good Daytona 500 champion for us over the next 12 months.”

The 43-year-old Hamlin knows that Byron, who is 26, has many more years ahead of him with the potential to keep adding to his resume. Something Hamlin went into when asked Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway about all the praise he sent Byron’s way. It’s the progression of Byron through the NASCAR ranks in a short time and his development as a driver that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Hamlin.

“I think we saw it in the Truck Series to Xfinity Series, he always was winning,” Hamlin said. “And again, he’s always had really great equipment, but to have a lot of his teammates as well. He’s just continually, in my mind, gotten better and better. Then, to be [26 years old], he’s got such a long future ahead.

“He’s a guy that we could be talking about in that 60 (to) 70-win category if he keeps going on this pace. He’s got the potential.”

Xfinity superspeedway king Hill aces major fuel gamble at Atlanta

Sunoco rookie Jesse Love led almost all the laps, but in the end, it was his Richard Childress Racing teammate, Austin Hill, who had Saturday’s RAPTOR King of Tough 250 fall into his lap. For Hill, who won last week’s NASCAR Xfinity Series …

Sunoco rookie Jesse Love led almost all the laps, but in the end, it was his Richard Childress Racing teammate, Austin Hill, who had Saturday’s RAPTOR King of Tough 250 fall into his lap.

For Hill, who won last week’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, it was the continuation of a serendipitous start to 2024. Hill is the first driver since Tony Stewart in 2008 to win the first two events of an Xfinity season.

The victory was Hill’s third in the last four races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the eighth of his career.

But victory for the driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet came at the expense of Love, who started from the pole, swept the first two stages and led 157 of 169 laps. Love ran out of fuel at the start of a two-lap overtime, as Hill grabbed the lead for the first time and held off eventual runner-up Chandler Smith by 0.106s.

 

The bottom line? Running behind the leaders in a single-file line, Hill was able to save more fuel than his teammate at the front of the pack. Hill had enough in his tank to stave off Smith who had pitted for fuel under caution on lap 164.

“I was really thinking we were down and out,” Hill said. “I was thinking the No. 2 (Love) was going to go get ‘em, and hey, if I can’t win, let my teammate win. We were riding there in fourth or fifth—whatever it was—I was saving fuel…”

On the overtime restart on lap 168, Hill’s car stumbled when he shifted from third to fourth gear.

“The No. 81 (Smith) hit me really hard, and that woke it back up, and I had enough fuel to complete the lap. But I’ve got to take this moment to congratulate, Jesse Love, my teammate. He ran an awesome race. To be a rookie and to lead that many laps, he should be sitting in Victory Lane right now.”

The coup de grace for Love came when the Ford of Ryan Sieg ran out of fuel on lap 161 of a scheduled 163 and stopped on the track in Turn 4. The caution extended the race by six laps and allowed a dozen cars to pit before the overtime restart.

Among those who took advantage of the fuel stop was New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen, who finished third in his second Xfinity Series start.

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“It’s almost comical,” Love said. “Man, I’m just so…proud of everybody on this Whelen car. It just wasn’t meant to be. Obviously, as a Christian, I’m not going to allow myself to question why we were under caution so long or what happened.

“I always try to take responsibility for everything, so I as a driver I should have saved more fuel. Man, I just didn’t want anybody to catch me off-guard. I thought I saved a ton. Man, that overtime or that caution just lasted forever.

“No matter what, I’m really proud of our guys. We had a great showing. Led a lot of laps man. It just wasn’t in store for us today.”

Van Gisbergen was delighted to be on the other side of the fuel equation.

“Pretty awesome,” he said. “Great job by (crew chief) Bruce (Schlicker) on the box there to pit us. I had so much fun. Just learning about it and running in the pack. Yeah, to be P3 in the second race in the WeatherTech Chevy is pretty awesome. I’m stoked.

“It’s just good to get a result and have a clean car, especially after last week (at Daytona) when I got involved in so much stuff. So, to have a clean race, not make too many mistakes, and complete every lap, we learned a lot. It was awesome.”

Riley Herbst, Love’s foremost challenger over the closing laps was among the first to run out of fuel—from the second position on lap 160. Cole Custer hit empty almost simultaneously, then Sieg, causing the fateful caution.

The gas shortage throughout the field scrambled the finishing order, leaving Sheldon Creed fourth and Parker Retzlaff fifth. Jeremy Clements, Anthony Alfredo, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ryan Truex and Sammy Smith completed the top 10.

Note: Love is the first driver since Christopher Bell in 2017 to lead more than 100 laps in his first two Xfinity Series starts combined. Bell led 152 of 250 laps in his second start at Iowa. Love led 34 laps in his series debut last Monday at Daytona, giving him a total of 191 for the two races.

RESULTS

Video: Corey LaJoie is aiming for Cup playoffs in 2024

Spire Motorsports in 2024 is a ‘totally different team’ to Corey LaJoie. The organization has moved into a brand-new race shop after purchasing the assets of Kyle Busch Motorsports, has increased support from partners, added engineering, and much …

Spire Motorsports in 2024 is a ‘totally different team’ to Corey LaJoie. The organization has moved into a brand-new race shop after purchasing the assets of Kyle Busch Motorsports, has increased support from partners, added engineering, and much more.

LaJoie met with the media Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway and said it’s almost as if they are now a legitimate race team. As such, the expectations for LaJoie and his No. 7 team have changed from just wanting to race to now racing with intention.

Hear more LaJoie below:

Keselowski feeling ready to make a move on Atlanta high banks

The configuration of Atlanta Motor Speedway doesn’t matter to Brad Keselowski because success has been a constant. Keselowski led the spring race at Atlanta on the final lap last year in one of the strongest showings of the season for the No. 6 RFK …

The configuration of Atlanta Motor Speedway doesn’t matter to Brad Keselowski because success has been a constant.

Keselowski led the spring race at Atlanta on the final lap last year in one of the strongest showings of the season for the No. 6 RFK Racing team, even though he ended up bested by former teammate Joey Logano and finished second. The performance, however, gives Keselowski and his group a good notebook for approaching Sunday’s race (3pm ET, Fox).

“I like the track,” Keselowski said. “I feel good here. I feel like we understand what we need out of our car and yeah, I feel like we can win come Sunday. It’s a good track for us, but nothing is given to you — you have to go earn it. Just because you ran well last year, everybody is working on their stuff in order to get better, so I don’t take it for granted. I do feel like it’s a track that, even before it was reconfigured, suited me well and continues to do so.”

The former Cup Series champion hasn’t won yet driving the car he owns. Keselowski became a co-owner of RFK Racing in 2022, and his last Cup Series victory was in the spring of 2021 while driving for Team Penske (Talladega Superspeedway).

Sunday will be Keselowski’s 100th start since that victory. It’s not a streak – or drought – he’s concerned about.

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“I’m not paying any attention to it, honestly,” Keselowski said. “What matters to me is I would rather be fast every week and contending for wins than fall…into a race win and say, ‘Oh streak’s over.’ I want to be fast. I want to be contending and in the hunt.

“We did that last week and I’m proud of that, and I think we have a good shot to do that this week. That’s what matters to me.”

It’s the longest stretch Keselowski has gone without a victory in his Cup Series career. He scored at least one win each season from 2011 through 2021.

“I never was not hungry,” Keselowski said of getting back to victory lane. “I don’t know how to get any hungrier.”

A breakthrough win wouldn’t come as a surprise at Atlanta. Whereas a year ago, Atlanta and other superspeedway racetracks were opportunity races for the team, their progression has made them weekly contenders.

“I do feel that we can win anywhere,” Keselowski said. “I would have liked to have more speed in qualifying than what we showed, but I feel confident that we’ve got a lot of great pieces, a lot of maturity in our team, and I could see us winning tomorrow and being a threat all day long.”

Keselowski qualified 24th for the Ambetter 400.

Busch cruises to Truck Series win at Atlanta after Enfinger falters

When Kyle Busch sold his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team to Spire Motorsports, he didn’t surrender his prowess behind the wheel. Driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in his first start of 2024, Busch inherited the lead from Grant …

When Kyle Busch sold his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team to Spire Motorsports, he didn’t surrender his prowess behind the wheel.

Driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in his first start of 2024, Busch inherited the lead from Grant Enfinger on lap 129 of 135 and held off Ty Majeski and Corey Heim over the final five laps to win his seventh race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the 65th of his career, extending his own series record.

Enfinger was out front for 21 consecutive laps before one of his tires began losing pressure, forcing him to the pits after Busch, Majeski, Heim, Taylor Gray and Nick Sanchez, last week’s winner at Daytona, sped past.

Busch crossed the finish line 0.187s ahead of Majeski, who edged Heim for the runner-up position by 0.009s. Gray and Sanchez came home fourth and fifth, respectively.

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“I actually got a run on the No. 9 truck (Enfinger) down the backstretch,” Busch said of the pass for the win. “He must have been going flat down the backstretch and slowing down because it gave me—it sucked me up right to him. Then he got loose in the corner. I got loose in the corner. We all checked up trying not to crash.

“Thankfully, we didn’t. I thought that was a big moment. But then we got the lead right there, and after that, it was about trying to protect it. Majeski was a bit of a wing man today. Appreciate him—and the history we’ve had together growing up racing late models with him a lot in Wisconsin and around those parts.

“That was a lot of fun. Great to get Chevrolet to Victory Lane.”

The race was the first of five events Busch will run for Spire Motorsports this year, after selling Kyle Busch Motorsports to the organization late in the 2023 season. Busch now has 230 victories across all three of NASCAR’s national series (63 NASCAR Cup, 102 Xfinity and 65 CRAFTSMAN Truck).

Coming through the final corner Busch effectively blocked Majeski’s only potential path to victory.

“I had a run, and I got to Kyle’s bumper,” Majeski said. “I knew he was going to cover the bottom. My only shot was to try and fade right, get to his quarter panel. That was the only shot that I had.

“Overall, super proud of the day. The truck was a little ill-handling in the beginning. (Crew chief) Joe Shear made some great calls, tightened me up a little bit so we could go racing.”

 

Tyler Ankrum led a race-high 46 laps but got shuffled back in the bottom lane after Enfinger passed him for the top spot in lap 108. Busch, who won Stage 2, was out front for 33 laps and Enfinger 23. Ankrum finished seventh behind Kaden Honeycutt in sixth.

Christian Eckes led 20 laps and won the first stage but suffered brake issues that prevented him from stopping in his pit box during the Stage 1 break. Eckes retired after 50 laps in 33rd place.

There were 20 lead changes among seven drivers and seven cautions for 37 laps.

RESULTS

Byron gets back to work after a whirlwind week of media

William Byron was the center of attention this week as the new Daytona 500 champion, which meant plenty of media time. Byron was sent to New York hours after his Monday night victory. Tuesday, the 26-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, one of the …

William Byron was the center of attention this week as the new Daytona 500 champion, which meant plenty of media time.

Byron was sent to New York hours after his Monday night victory. Tuesday, the 26-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, one of the sport’s most reserved, had stops scheduled at Fox and Friends, Live with Kelly and Mark, Forbes, Fox Sports, The Weather Channel, CNN World Sport, Barstool Sports, Jalopnik and Deadspin, the New York Post, NASDAQ and SiriusXM. The day started after 7 a.m. ET and ended after 5 p.m. ET.

“It’s been fun,” Byron said Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. “I enjoyed all of the stuff that I got to do this week, especially because it was something unique and different and I felt like it was really interesting. A lot of interesting questions and just different outlets trying to learn about the sport. I tried my best to do a good job, and honestly I was running on adrenaline for two, three days, and we’re back to the racetrack now and ready to get to work.

“I enjoyed it. As much as I am quiet, I feel like most of my quiet time is spent at the racetrack when I’m trying to do my work and focusing on my job.”

The biggest race of the season, the Daytona 500, is an attraction for new and die-hard race fans alike, making Byron the face of the sport for the week, giving it more exposure in the mainstream media.

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“I think the best way to go around New York is in a car service going place to place,” Byron said. “We didn’t have to walk anywhere, so it was a unique situation, but it’s very cool and I’m just thankful to NASCAR that they put that together. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go getting on the plane Monday night, and I was a little nervous about it all, but I thought they managed it really well.

“It was super smooth. The Empire State Building was probably one of the coolest aspects, just being able to go up there and see the views.”

There is still more to come. Byron has media scheduled for next week, as well. There is also going to be a visit from Daytona International Speedway at the Hendrick Motorsports shop to present additional spoils for winning the race.

Because the race was postponed until Monday and Byron had to be in New York for a full Tuesday slate, there was no traditional Champion’s Breakfast the next day, where Byron would have been presented with his Daytona 500 champion jacket and Rolex watch while Rudy Fugle is presented the crew chief trophy and Rick Hendrick the Harley J. Earl trophy. All of that will occur with a celebratory lunch at the shop Monday.

First, Byron is glad to be back to work. He qualified his No. 24 Chevrolet 11th at Atlanta, where he’s the most recent winner.

“There’s just a lot of different aspects to it,” Byron said of what being the Daytona 500 champion will mean moving forward. “I feel like the big thing for us is being able to start the year like that with a lot of momentum for a lot of different reasons…I feel like for me, personally, it’s a huge relief and something I’m really excited to carry down the road.”

McDowell earns first Cup pole, alongside Logano again in Atlanta

Michael McDowell and Joey Logano have flip-flopped starting positions from a week ago with McDowell earning his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Front Row Motorsports driver went to the top of the …

Michael McDowell and Joey Logano have flip-flopped starting positions from a week ago with McDowell earning his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Front Row Motorsports driver went to the top of the leaderboard in single-car qualifying at 178.844mph (30.999s). He was the final competitor to get on track in the final round of qualifying after setting the pace in the first round.

McDowell’s first pole comes in his 467th start.

“That’s awesome,” McDowell said. “I’m just really proud of all the men and women at Front Row Motorsports — two weeks in a row we’ve sat on the front row. We’ve got a really fast Benebone Ford Mustang. That was a good lap but it really comes down to team and execution and they’ve done a really good job.

“We need to back that up with a good result tomorrow, but I’m really proud of everybody at Front Row. It’s a big effort for us; got both cars in the top five, which is awesome.”

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Logano, who bested McDowell last weekend for the pole in the Daytona 500, will start second and is the defending race winner at Atlanta. His fastest lap was 178.424mph

Kyle Busch qualified third (178.235mph), Todd Gilliland fourth (178.080mph), Kyle Larson fifth (177.829mph), Ryan Blaney sixth (177.658mph) and Chris Buescher seventh (177.176mph).

Austin Cindric qualified eighth (177.147mph), Chase Briscoe ninth (177.125mph) and Austin Dillon completed the top 10 (177.102mph).

There were seven Ford drivers who advanced into the final round of qualifying. The other three drivers were from the Chevrolet camp.

Daytona 500 champion William Byron qualified 11th with a lap of 176.853mph.

There are 37 drivers qualified for the Ambetter 400. Erik Jones ended up last at 164.554mph after fighting to keep the car from spinning in Turns 3 and 4 in the first round of qualifying.

Saturday’s session was the only on-track activity for the Cup Series prior to the green flag just after 3 p.m. ET Sunday.

RESULTS

NASCAR confiscates parts from two Stewart-Haas cars at Atlanta

NASCAR confiscated the roof rail deflectors from the Stewart-Haas Racing cars driven by Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece during pre-race inspection Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The No. 10 team (Gragson) and No. 41 team (Preece) have replaced the …

NASCAR confiscated the roof rail deflectors from the Stewart-Haas Racing cars driven by Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece during pre-race inspection Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The No. 10 team (Gragson) and No. 41 team (Preece) have replaced the parts for the rest of the weekend. NASCAR will continue to inspect the parts and any penalties will be announced next week.

Neither team will be penalized for race weekend. No details were given as to why NASCAR confiscated the parts.

Per section 14.5.6.1 of the NASCAR Rule Book, the roof deflectors:

· Must be constructed of 0.05-inch-thick aluminum

· Must be installed perpendicular to the inspection surface in the applicable recessed slots on the greenhouse and roof flaps

· Must not interfere with the functioning of the roof flaps

· Must be painted

Cup Series teams will get on track Saturday morning for single-car qualifying. Sunday is the second race of the season.

Stewart-Haas Racing was hit with an L3 level penalty last year on Chase Briscoe’s No. 14 team for a counterfeit part found in late May. The team was docked 120 points (driver and owner) and 25 playoff points. Briscoe failed to win a race or make the postseason, finishing 30th in the championship standings.

Jameis Winston previews his possible landing spots in free agency

Jameis Winston previewed his possible landing spots in free agency, but Saints fans won’t like his preferred destination:

Where will Jameis Winston play football in 2024? The New Orleans Saints reworked their contract with Winston so that they’ll have to extend or release him before the start of free agency in March, which offers some slight salary cap benefits.

It’s tough to see Winston returning after he and the rest of the offense went rogue in mop-up duty against the Atlanta Falcons to close out the 2023 season. So where could he land next?

That’s what was asked of him during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast. Winston was asked to name his preference of four (well, five) “random” cities that all happen to house NFL teams with question marks at quarterback: Seattle, Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Foxborough, Mass.

“They sound random,” Winston quipped. When the hosts added Denver to the list, he responded, “I was waiting for that one.”

The Seahawks can get out of their contract with quarterback Geno Smith easily enough. Atlanta desperately needs an answer under center. Washington is expected to pick a quarterback second overall in the 2024 draft, as are the Patriots at No. 3. All four teams have new head coaches, too. And we can’t rule out a reunion with Sean Payton on the Broncos.

As for Winston’s preference? He’s eager to embrace any opportunity, though one city stands out from the rest. And Saints fans won’t be happy to hear it.

“Atlanta, I grew up an hour and a half from Atlanta,” Winston mused. “I’m from Birmingham, Alabama. That would be a beautiful time just for my family. That would be beautiful. But I feel like I’m the attraction. I’m the thing, I’m the city, that is going to bring joy, love, trust, peace, and integrity to any location that I’m at. Because I’m a man of increase. Wherever it may be, that city, is going to get someone that is ready. A kingdom man that is prepared to grow everyone around him.”

No one has questioned Winston’s positive mindset and leadership qualities; he’s been loved by every locker room he’s ever joined. And that could help him secure his next NFL opportunity. Whether teams view him as a potential starter or a high-end backup, his services should be in demand. We’ll just have to wait until March to see what’s next for him.

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Burton, Konieczny bemoan Notre Dame’s lack of focus in loss

The players knew what to say after this loss.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It takes focus by everybody in order to win a basketball games. It’s one of the first things every player should learn when starting to play competitively. If that focus isn’t there, you’re most likely going to lose.

After Notre Dame lost to Florida State, 67-58, Markus Burton (20 points) and J.R. Konieczny (11 points) took the postgame podium to address what went wrong from their perspective. To them, a lack of focus was the primary issue, and that couldn’t have been more clear based on everything they said to the assembled media.

Whether not being focused was the issue only to them or if they were speaking on behalf of their teammates in general is unknown beyond the Irish’s locker room. All that can be known for sure is that we at least their personal reasons for the loss.

Here are the questions posed to them by Fighting Irish Wire and what their responses to those questions were: